[Congressional Record Volume 154, Number 5 (Tuesday, January 15, 2008)]
[House]
[Page H6]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                               H-2B VISAS

  (Mr. BISHOP of New York asked and was given permission to address the 
House for 1 minute.)
  Mr. BISHOP of New York. Madam Speaker, I rise to call upon my 
leadership to address an urgent need in my district that is affecting 
other areas across the country as well.
  Two weeks ago, the cap on H-2B immigration visas for seasonal workers 
was reached. Consequently, many family-owned businesses that depend on 
such employees will be without the workforce they need to stay in 
business.
  I support raising the cap on H-2B visas permanently and incorporating 
this change into broader immigration reform. Regrettably, partisanship 
blocked reform in the Senate last year. We must resolve to enact these 
smaller scale remedies we can agree upon today to alleviate the burden 
our broken immigration system imposes upon businesses as we continue to 
address economic and security challenges required to enact broader 
reform.
  In the absence of such a consensus, and although I would prefer a 
vote on broader reform, I ask my colleagues to join me in supporting 
the Save Our Small and Seasonal Businesses Act and related measures 
that would relieve business owners of the immediate threat caused by 
the freeze on H-2B visas. We cannot leave small businesses that want to 
do the right thing with the unacceptable choice of going out of 
business or hiring illegal workers.

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